Hospital pays ransom for locked EHR

After hackers used malware to infect Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center’s computer systems earlier this month, the Los Angeles hospital paid a $17,000 ransom to regain access. The malware prevented hospital staff from accessing their system by encrypting its files. Once the ransom was paid, the hospital was given a decryption key to unlock it.

The hospital’s CEO said patient care and hospital records were not compromised during the incident but paying the ransom was the quickest way to restore its systems. During that time, the hospital resorted to paper records. After paying the ransom, the hospital contacted law enforcement for assistance. The FBI is currently investigating the attack.

Source: Los Angeles Times